Gavin Newsom Vows To ‘Seize’ Money From California Republicans

Gov. Gavin Newsom is calling for California to slap a 100% tax on anyone in the state who collects money from President Donald Trump’s new Anti-Weaponization Fund, framing it as a way to block what Democrats say could become a payday for Trump allies.

“Anyone from California that receives any of those funds,” Newsom said at a Wednesday news conference. “We want to tax 100% of those proceeds and that’s an action the state of California can take. It’s an action we look forward to taking.”

Newsom’s move targets the $1.776 billion fund the Justice Department announced as part of a settlement tied to Trump and the Internal Revenue Service. Supporters say it is open to any claimant who can show the government unfairly targeted them. Critics call it a boondoggle and warn it could be used to compensate people convicted or indicted in connection with the Jan. 6, 2021, Capitol riot.

Newsom leaned into that argument in a post on X, tying the fund to Trump’s sweeping pardons and commutations.

“He pardoned all of those folks that were beating up cops and absolved them, providing them 1.776 billion dollars. So not only do you get a pardon, you get rewarded,” Newsom wrote. “That’s why this is needed.”

The governor’s hard line also lands as Newsom is widely viewed as a potential 2028 presidential contender, with national Democrats eager to keep the focus on Trump’s legal and political fights and away from their own internal fractures.

But Republicans and conservative critics accuse Newsom of hypocrisy, pointing to California’s own politically charged spending fights. Among the programs that drew scrutiny was a $25 million California legal fund Newsom backed to fight what he described as legal warfare from the Trump administration. California Senate Minority Leader Brian Jones branded that effort a “slush fund.”

Newsom has also faced blowback over the state’s use of no-bid COVID-19 contracts during the pandemic. A Kaiser Health News investigation found California awarded billions in emergency contracts to firms tied to donors, political allies and well-connected insiders, raising questions about oversight and competition.

Gavin Newsom’s threat to tax the proceeds at 100% comes as California faces a projected $2.9 billion shortfall for the 2027 fiscal year budget. The governor has also been hammered over big-ticket projects that have ballooned in cost, including the state’s high-speed rail effort and a wildlife crossing that Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy mocked as a “bridge to nowhere” after it ran $21 million over budget.

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Democrats outside California are taking similar swings. Since the Justice Department announced the Anti-Weaponization Fund, Democratic members of Congress from New York have proposed legislation to block it, and a Connecticut state lawmaker has pushed a 100% tax on proceeds.

Fox News Digital reported it reached out to the White House and Newsom’s office for comment.

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